Six public universities in Florida have been rated among the best values in the nation by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. The University of Florida, the state’s unofficial flagship school in Gainesville, rated third best value in the country based on such things as tuition charged to in-state residents and the university’s four-year graduation rate. More at the Orlando Sentinel and Kiplinger's.

Russians, Brazilians, Canadians buying Florida real estate

International homebuyers aren't so foreign any more. They're coming from more countries these days, including Russia, Brazil and even China. Wealthy international buyers are looking for second, third or even fourth homes in Florida. More at the Naples Daily News.

Small biz expert sounds off on taxes, fiscal cliff

Obituary

Mark C. Hollis

Hollis, the former President of Publix, died December 7 at the age of 78. Hollis was born in Lakeland, where Publix is headquartered, and graduated from Stetson University in 1956. He began his career at Publix at age 12, bagging potatoes. Under his leadership, the number of Publix stores almost doubled to more than 500 and sales tripled to $9.5 billion.

Dane Stangler is in a position to understand the challenges facing people who own small companies. Stangler is the director of the Research & Policy department at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. His job is to help the foundation determine how it can encourage and mentor entrepreneurs. More at the AP.

HSN ranks as top improved online retailer

HSN ranks one of the most improved online retailers, according to an annual customer satisfaction survey released today by the analytics firm ForeSee. The 2012 Holiday E-Retail Satisfaction Index ranked the top 100 retailers based on more than 24,000 customer surveys collected between Thanksgiving and Christmas. More at the Tampa Bay Times.

Strike looms at South Florida seaports

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has asked President Barack Obama to prevent a potentially "devastating" strike by dockworkers at 15 East Coast and Gulf Coast seaports when their contract expires Saturday. The longshoremen's union represents more than 14,000 workers handling containerized cargo at seaports from Massachusetts to Texas, including four in Florida. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Balancing Act Lots of noise about Florida noise ordinances

It's hard to legislate noise. Just ask Delray Beach, where a new noise ordinance designed to deter violations has restaurant owners fearing for their businesses and asking city officials to rewrite the laws. While many coastal cities have adopted mixed-use development to create more pedestrian-friendly communities and avoid suburban sprawl, striking a balance between the rights of downtown residents and business owners is often proving harder than attracting restaurants and building downtown condos.